“All the money in the world will leave you wanting,” said
David Nasser to youth at a recent event.
But students need to follow Jesus’ example of meeting needs,
said Nasser, an author and speaker based in Alabama.
Nasser was the main speaker April 2 at the Student Missions Conference at
Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem. He said a lot of church members “need
Jesus plus something else to be satisfied.”
The student event, which drew 210 students and leaders,
coincided with the April 1-2 North Carolina Baptist Men’s Missions Conference,
also at Calvary (see story, page 16).
Using John 6:35 Nasser
said that when Jesus claimed to be the “bread of life,” He was also laying
claim to being the Messiah.
“Jesus is basically saying I’m everything,” Nasser
said.
People had followed Jesus because he had fed the 5,000 with
a young boy’s lunch. He had also performed other miracles.
“This is real life,” Nasser said,
emphasizing that the miracles Jesus performed were real. Basically, Nasser
explained, there were almost 15,000 people who forgot to pack a lunch.
“The greatest preacher of all time walks into an environment
where there are hungry people and He feeds them,” Nasser
said.
“The next day … He confronts them with the truth.”
Nasser said meeting that immediate
need usually results in the question, “Why do you care?”
This opens the door to share about Jesus.
Worship for the youth conference was led by Giles
Blankenship, minister of worship and college students at Snyder
Memorial Baptist
Church in Fayetteville.
“I think it was very successful,” said Tom Beam, Baptist Men
student missions and mobilization consultant. “We heard very positive
comments.”
Breakout sessions
There were times for mission action conferences aimed at
youth and their leaders. Students and leaders going with Deep Impact trips to Honduras
and New York had to attend two
training sessions to discuss travel arrangements as well as expectations and
projects.
Brandon Powell, minister of education and students at Cross
Road Baptist Church
in Asheboro, brought his group of
18 that will be going on the Honduras
trip. Powell also led their training sessions as well as a couple of
conferences on effective evangelism.
Trips to Honduras
and New York are overbooked said
Beam. The cutoff is usually 100 people, but 104 are going to Honduras
and 117 to New York.
“The good thing is the relationship that the N.C. Baptists
have with the locals is incredible,” said Powell, who also is state coordinator
for student mobilization. Powell has worked with youth since 1998 and is amazed
“to see the desire that the students have to be involved with something.”
Powell said he tries to teach his youth that missions is not
just who they are but where they are.
“It’s just so cool to see them realize, ‘Hey, I can do
this,’” Powell said.
Other sessions were taught on leading/participating in
worship, planning a mission trip, human trafficking, icebreakers, evangelism,
recognizing God’s gifts, etc. Powell said conferences where youth leaders could
discuss what is and isn’t working are also helpful.
At least two of the conferences were led by students.
“If you have a student that is passionate about something
and you can tell it’s important to them, it’s important to connect them with a
ministry they can … take ownership of,” Powell said.
Although this was the first time Baptist Men offered a youth
conference with its annual meeting, Beam said it will not be the last. Next
year’s event is slated April 14, 2012
in conjunction with the Baptist Men’s annual meeting again.
Beam set aside time to recognize people for participating in
Challengers, a ministry centered around missions for teen boys and girls. The
recipients were from Faith Baptist
Church in Salisbury
and Liberty Baptist
Church in Thomasville.
(SPECIAL NOTE — Thank you for your continued support of the Biblical
Recorder site. During this interim period while we are searching for a new
Editor/President the comments section will be temporarily discontinued. Thank
you for your understanding and patience in this. If you do have comments or
issues with items we run, please contact [email protected]
or call 919-847-2127.)
Related story